Friday 30 May 2014

I want your boots, your clothes and your biggest BMW GS

I had to chortle at this and it's `little` dig at motorcycle snobbery
(P.S. I used to ride a GS and a Harley, amongst many others, so I have suffered for my `art`, but I never, ever, had a whale foreskin riding jacket :-/)


 

9 comments:

HillB said...

Never had a bike but I have read of the various castes - If you are a Harley rider, "real" Harley riders don't ride Sportsters - and if you are going to Sturgis, real Harley riders don't tow their Harleys behind huge motorhomes - they ride to Sturgis.

Which reminds me of a lament by the old bikers I read about in the WSJ years ago - the article dealt with the "upscale" effort Harley is going to make their dealers upmarket - appealing to the kind of person we see in this video - and the old riders remember pushing greasy non-operating bikes to their garage - now they are "boutiques". Greasy dead Harleys are not desired at these newer boutiques.

Perhaps I am rambling but one quote I always remember - interviewing one of these old riders who felt that the Company was ignoring the huge loyalty of the older riders, the old rider said "after all, do you ever see someone with 'Yamaha" tattooed on their chest?"

Trobairitz said...

Nice. Doesn't BMW stand for Buy More Widgets, that is our joke around here. They do make nice bikes though.

MTG said...

I once tried a Harley...just the one time, HD.

And the spoof ad ridicules a Yankee religion of no substance. The smartest product of the Milwaukee factory must be the Marketing Director.

BillB said...

Trobairtz: BMW can also stand for "Bring More Wampum".

MTG: I think Harley's are a religion, but practiced world-wide.

About 10 years ago I was in Helsinki, see an M/C club in their leathers, for intentents looked like a statside HOG (Harley Owner's Group) but their patches said Lithuania. They certainly aren't the most advanced bikes from an engineering viewpoint but they have had legions of followers.

Maybe it is the V Twin, as the Indian - the classic one - used to have a similar following.

Hogdayafternoon said...

`H`illB: I quite agree re the lure of that old V twin. I've owned a Heritage Softail and then a Road King over an 11 year period and rode them all year round in all weathers. I've owned numerous other types over 45 years. I loved them both. I traded the RK 3 yrs ago because I'd owned a BMW 1150GS alongside it, as my daily workhorse, and got to love that too. The Harley became too heavy for me - not that I'm getting weak and whimpy - but a) I will do, one day, and wanted to be the one to let it go, not the other way round; and b) it was not really suited to my daily, all year round riding. My current R1200R is simply outstanding. I do get your sentiments. I am a motorcyclist who happened to be riding a Harley Davidson at one time, but now I ride a BMW :)

MTG: They are indeed masters of marketing.

Troub`: BMW/Break My Wallet.

MTG said...

The R1200R is the tourer for connoisseurs. Not as pretty as my VTX, but in a league of its own for quality, agility and awesome torque.

Hogdayafternoon said...

VTX. Quality engineering.

Hogdayafternoon said...

BillB:

The "Harley Riders of GB and Northern Ireland" is a club that welcomes real riders, especially greasy ones :D

Anonymous said...

Whale foreskin!

*tears*